Demolition Derby will be family affair

September 10, 2011

BLACKFOOT – The demolition derby is always a big deal for the Young/Adakai/Chavez family, but preparations for the 2011 derby have been 16 years in the making. This year cousins Cade Adakai and Dakota Chavez have their drivers licenses and will make their wrecking debut.
Cade found his derby car Christmas morning as a gift from Santa. The others say finding the car can be the hardest part.
The boys will be wrecking against their more experienced family members, Robb Young and Tom Chavez, and a field of at least 40 additional drivers. But they say they're ready.
"If someone is in my way I'm going to hit them," said Cade. "It doesn't matter who it is."
For Cade the timing of the derby couldn't be more perfect. Adakai turned the mandatory 16 years of age just three days before the derby.
Dakota, who is also 16 years old, says his earliest memories of the demolition derby at the Eastern Idaho State Fair are of "playing derby with the beer cans under the grandstands. We could make derby cars out of anything," he says.
Cade and Dakota have spent their entire lives waiting for the year they would be old enough to "wreck".
The boys agree they have learned a couple things from years of watching derbies.
"Don't play possum. Don't play cat and mouse. Just go for it," they said.
It is also unanimous among the family that Robb has the best car this year. Robb says "it all comes down to the frame and the motor because one good hard hit and you are down."
Robb adds "these guys don't realize how hard cars hit each other. They're about to find out though."
The Demolition Derby will close out the Grandstand Events tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for 12 and up and a child's ticket is $16.